Michigan players sitting out the bowl game? Jim Harbaugh respects it

ATLANTA -- The Michigan football team will have at least three players sit out the Peach Bowl, the latest in a trend that is sweeping college football.

The seventh-ranked Wolverines will be without starting defensive end Rashan Gary, starting linebacker and the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year Devin Bush, Jr. (hip), and their top rusher, Karan Higdon, when they go to play No. 10 Florida on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (noon, ESPN).

And the common consensus among Harbaugh and the players? They approve of it.

“That was their decision and we respect it,” Harbaugh said. “I have respect for their (decision). That’s the decision for them to make.”

It’s becoming an increasingly popular move for players to skip the post-season bowl game, especially a non-playoff game, in order to stay healthy and preserve their NFL draft stock. In the case of Gary and Bush, they could both be first-round picks.

Higdon’s projection is more uncertain.

“As a locker room and just as a team, especially a defense, we understand the opportunities those guys have outside of football and outside of Michigan football,” said cornerback David Long, who says he plans to play in the Peach Bowl. “I definitely respect that. I respect that to the fullest.”

None of the three players to declare for the NFL draft and publicly announce their plans not to play in the bowl game are with the Michigan football team this week in Atlanta. Instead, they are elsewhere, training for the upcoming NFL combine, with Higdon also preparing for the Senior Bowl next month in Mobile, Ala.

Defensive end Chase Winovich, another NFL draft prospect, has said he will play in the Peach Bowl this weekend. He has practiced with the team this month.

“We support them,” said cornerback Lavert Hill, who also says he plans to play in the Peach Bowl. “They just doing the best decision for them. That’s good. They have a life after college, so ...”

The three players sitting out will allow for younger players to start, potentially giving fans an early look at what the 2019 Michigan football team might look like. Expect sophomore Kwity Paye to start at defensive end opposite Chase Winovich, Josh Ross at middle linebacker for Bush, and Chris Evans to receive a bulk of the carries at running back.

But there are others, too, like freshmen end Aidan Hutchinson and 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back Christian Turner, both of whom Harbaugh expects to play for extended reps.

“(Turner’s) had a few really great weeks of preparation now during the bowl game,” Harbaugh said. “He’ll see time in this game. Pretty neat. From Atlanta. Buford High School. He’s stepping in nicely. I feel like he’s going to be a good player for us.”